


Valentine's Date Fail

by spideyranger



Series: Morgan to the Rescue (Reid & Morgan Cuteness) [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Spencer Reid, Canon Autistic Character, First Dates, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:42:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideyranger/pseuds/spideyranger
Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day and the team is planning to do a family dinner at Rossi’s house. Morgan and Reid go to get coffee together and Reid gets asked on a date that night.
Relationships: Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Morgan to the Rescue (Reid & Morgan Cuteness) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161971
Comments: 7
Kudos: 25





	Valentine's Date Fail

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by an Autistic Spencer fic where his date went horribly wrong!

“Are you coming to Rossi’s tonight?” Morgan asks, half sitting on the tip of Reid’s desk. Reid had been engrossed in a book, having finished his case files earlier that day. 

Reid’s face scrunches up as he cranes his neck to peer up at Morgan. “Rossi’s?” He asks, confused as to what Morgan is speaking of. 

“Yeah, didn’t you see his text?” 

Reid fishes his phone out of his bag and navigates to the messages. 

Rossi: Would any of you be interested in some Valentine’s Day Risotto this evening?  
Morgan: Ofc man  
Hotch: Haley has Jack so I’m free  
Morgan: What time?  
Garcia: YES  
JJ: Will and I will be there  
Prentiss: Ooh, sounds good.  
Rossi: How about 6pm?

Looking back up, Reid nods his head. “Yeah, I can be there”. Morgan laughs, ruffling his hair as Reid responds to the text.

Reid: Okay

“What are we gonna do with you, Pretty Boy. You’ve got to check your phone more”.

“Well, that’s what I have you for.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Morgan says smiling. “You want to come with me to get some coffee? I’m heading to Rick’s Coffeehouse, on my break in 10.”

Reid perks up considerably. The mere mention of coffee invigorating him and causing a slight buzz under his skin that he only gets when drinking or thinking about coffee. He calls it his coffee tingle. 

“Yes!” He says slipping a bookmark into his book, and sliding the book into his messenger bag. 

\---  
At the coffee shop, Morgan and Reid stand in the long lunch line. Rick’s is bustling with people on their break. Morgan catches Reid flinch every few seconds and slings his arm around his shoulder, giving him a little squeeze.

As much as Reid loves coffee, he hates ordering it--especially at peak times during the day. The lighting is always too bright and the bulbs often hang low enough to pass. The process of making coffee is loud and the process of receiving it is even louder considering how loud they have to shout your name just to be heard over the machines and people talking. 

Reid breaks into a light sweat and shakes out his hands a few times, trying to keep from full on flapping. While he’s not ashamed of his autism, he does find it awkward to have all eyes on him when stimming and often tries to avoid it. 

He tugs on the bottom of his shirt a few times and clears his throat. Unable to stifle any more attempts to stim, Reid finds himself rocking back and forth on his feet. Out of his peripheral vision, he spots two men sitting at a table glancing furtively at him every few minutes and then leaning close to each other to talk. 

Uncomfortable, Reid turns to Morgan. “Um, can you order for me? I need to go outside.”

Morgan nods, “Of course man, do what you need to do.” He reaches into his pocket, “Take the keys that way if you want to sit in the car, you can.”

Thankful, Reid takes the keys and beelines it to the door. He notices one of the men at the table get up behind him. 

Once he makes it outside, Reid considers whether or not to sit on one of the free benches in the park across the street or to go to the car and wait. Before he can make a final decision, someone steps in front of him.

“Hi, I’m Nick,” he says, offering his hand for a shake. Reid stares at it for a few minutes before shaking his head. Nick lowers his hand.

“Uh, I couldn’t help but notice you in there. It’s pretty loud, huh?” Reid nods. “Yeah” Nick says quietly. “I’ve got anxiety too so I totally felt your pain. It’s nice you have your...boyfriend to lean on.” He says, hesitating before the word boyfriend. 

Reid scratches his head, “Morgan is not my boyfriend”.

“Oh, yeah?” Nick asks. “Well if you don’t mind me asking do you have a boyfriend?”

“No”. Unsure, Reid glances towards the door then peers into the window of the shop. Morgan’s still in line, but he’s looking curiously at Reid and the guy talking to him. Reid looks back to Nick. 

“Well, would you be interested in going on a date with me?” Nick asks, offering Reid a small smile. “I know it’s Valentine’s Day and not your typical first date holiday, but I’d love to take you to dinner and get to know you more.”

Reid hesitates. On the one hand, Nick is cute and Reid has never had a Valentine’s Day date. But on the other hand, he’s nervous and unsure about if he should go, especially because he just committed to going to Rossi’s for dinner and doesn’t want to bail. 

“I--”

“I can make it worthwhile,” Nick says with a chuckle and a wink. Unsure as to what he means by that, Reid grimaces. 

“I don’t--I don’t know” He says, uneasy. 

Nick bows his head in a deep nod. “That’s okay, I hope you have a good day”. He turns around about to head back inside and Reid can’t help but be amazed by the fact that he just got asked out by a cute guy, that he said no to...

“Wait!” Reid says, twisting his hands together nervously. “I can do dinner tonight. I-I’m free.”

Nick turns back around with a smile on his face. “Yeah? That’s great!”. He pulls out his phone. “Can I get your number? We can text about a time and place for tonight.” 

Reid nods, “703-555-1242” he recites. 

Nick smiles, “Do I get a name to go with that number?”

“Spencer.” He says, cheeks heating in embarrassment over the fact that he forgot to introduce himself to Nick. 

“Spencer. A cute name for a cute guy” Nick says, winking again. “Well Spencer, I’ll text you so we can figure out plans. It was nice meeting you, I can’t wait for our date tonight.” 

With a final goodbye, Nick turns to go back into the shop. He nods to Morgan who is on his way out with his and Reid’s coffee. 

“Hey Pretty Boy. Who was that?” He asks, handing Reid his coffee as they begin walking towards the car.

“His name is Nick, he asked me to go on a date with him tonight.” 

Morgan’s eyebrows travel up his forehead, “Oh yeah? What did you say?”

“I said yes.”

“Alright! Looking at you go, kid.” Morgan exclaims. “Where are you going to eat?”

Reid shrugs, “I don’t know. He asked for my number. We’re going to text.”

Morgan chuckles, “Just make sure you actually check your phone”. Nodding, Reid gets into the car with a smile. 

\---  
“Okay Pretty Boy, make sure to text me if you have any problems? Rossi’s is only 20 minutes away, I can be here quick.” Morgan says, leaning towards Reid. Reid’s been nervous for the whole day, stimming and fidgeting at a more intense frequency. 

When it was time to go, Morgan had a hard time finding Reid. He’d been sitting in the corner of the conference room rocking and mumbling about first date etiquette. Morgan had to promise to practice with him on the ride to his apartment, while he was there changing, and on the ride to the restaurant in order for him to get out of the corner without a struggle. 

“Okay. Okay. Okay.” Reid repeats. “Hi, how are you doing? It’s nice to see you too. I’m glad we are here.” He whispers playing with his fingers.

“Reid.” Morgan says. “You’re okay kid. Just be you. Don’t focus too hard on what you think you should say. He’ll like you for you, kid.” Morgan leans over Reid and opens his door. “Now go get ‘em.” He says unlocking his seatbelt and prompting him to get out of the car. “You’re gonna be late”.

\---  
Walking into the restaurant, Reid glances around looking for Nick. Nick waves from where he’s seated almost directly in the center of the restaurant. 

“Spencer!” He calls, continuing to wave. Quickly, Reid shuffles over to the table. 

“Hi.” He says shyly. “How are you?”

“Spencer, it’s so good to see you. I was getting worried you wouldn’t show.” 

Reid nods, “It’s nice to see you too. I’m glad we’re here”. 

Nick smiles. “How was your day?”

Shrugging, Reid begins. “It was alright. We had a lot of paperwork, but I finished some of mine early and was able to read some.”

“So you like reading?” 

“Yeah”

“You look like the type. Cute and studious--”

The waiter interrupts asking for their drink orders. “Water please,” Reid says. 

Nick nods, “A practical choice” he says before ordering alcohol. They continue their conversation, which is mostly Nick talking. Reid meanwhile is slowly becoming hyper aware of every little thing about the restaurant. From the clank of the dishes being used or cleared from tables, to the sniffles of other guests, to the lights flickering, and the AC buzzing. Reid flinches periodically but does his best to refrain from stimming. 

Eventually Reid finds himself slowly rocking and grinding his fist into his thigh. Nick takes notice but elects not to say anything. 

“Are you ready for dessert?” Their waitress asks, popping up at the table. 

“Yes.” Nick answers, picking up the dessert menu and flipping to a cake he’d been eyeing. 

“Sure thing!” She says, “And let me clear this for you”. She says stacking up their dinner plates on her arm. Turning around, she runs right into another waiter with their arms full of dirty dishes as well. Colliding, all of their dishes go flying, splattering Reid with half eaten food and crashing to the floor in a loud cacophony of sounds. 

At first, Reid yelps. The food splatters hard against him and slides down him like slime. The sound of the dishes adds to his mounting misery, leading him to his breaking point.

Swiftly, he approaches a meltdown. His stims become violent in nature and he can’t help but cry out. 

Shocked, Nick jumps up from his chair. The entire restaurant is staring at Reid who is freaking out and trying to hurt himself. He can hear whispers and see people shoot their eyes to him. Their waitress is frozen in place, unsure of what to do next. Frustrated, Nick drops a few twenties on the table then goes around the table and grabs Reid’s arm then forces him out of the restaurant. It’s difficult to do considering he’s violently freaking out, but because of Reid’s small stature and the fact that his violence is focused on himself, it’s not impossible. Once outside, Reid starts to calm down. 

“Dude what is wrong with you? What are you? A child? You threw a fucking temper tantrum in the middle of a crowded restaurant for what? Because the waitress accidentally spilled some food on your clothes? Grow the fuck up, you’re embarrasing. This was embarrassing.”

Angrily, Nick backs away from Spencer who is now fully present and staring at Nick through eyes full of tears. 

“Just lose my number. I can’t do this again.” Nick says, turning and leaving Reid. 

Uncoordinated, Reid digs around in his bag for his phone to text Morgan.

Reid: Please come now  
Morgan: On my way. Are you okay?  
Morgan: Reid?  
1 Missed Call from Derek Morgan  
Morgan: Reid? Please pick up.

Morgan calls again and Reid picks up. 

“Kid, are you okay? I’m on my way. Reid?” Unable to speak, all Reid can do is sob into the phone. He stays on the line until Morgan pulls up to the restaurant 20 minutes later and hops out. 

“Reid! Kid, are you okay? What happened? Where’s Nick?” Unable to answer, Reid leans heavily into Morgan, body wracked with sobs. He’s shaking so hard and Morgan is concerned but knows he won’t get anything out of Reid until he calms down. 

“Come on,” Morgan says, leading Reid to the car at the curb.

The entire car ride, Reid rocks fast and rigid, still sobbing harshly. Tense, Morgan drives straight to Reid’s apartment complex. Despite the fact that he would rather take him to his own place, he knows that Spencer would not appreciate that and has a better chance of calming down sooner in his own place. 

It’s difficult to get Reid from the car to his apartment, but Morgan manages. Once there, he helps Reid change out of his clothes and climb into bed. Morgan goes onto the other side and sits on top of the covers, pulling Reid in his direction. He tentatively combs his fingers through Reid’s hair, unsure of how he will take it. Reid leans into the touch and Morgan continues as Reid settles down and his sobs turn to sniffles. 

Slowly, Reid relaxes until he falls asleep. Morgan sighs in relief and vows to get the full story out of Reid when he wakes up so he can handle the situation.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave suggestions for new fic ideas!!


End file.
